


A Friendly Embrace

by eeveepacini



Category: Degrassi
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, adam torres lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:41:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26937562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eeveepacini/pseuds/eeveepacini
Summary: This fic is an AU of S13 if Clare had developed a relationship with Adam rather than Drew. Adam (after surviving the car accident) consoles Clare after Eli has been ignoring and disconnecting from her while in New York.
Relationships: Clare Edwards & Adam Torres
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	A Friendly Embrace

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to Mic :~) Thank u for letting me write this fun AU!

“I just don’t get what’s so great about New York!” Clare whined as she put her feet up onto the couch in the Torres basement. “I mean, I get it, it’s a cultural epicenter, especially for film and theatre, but… The least he could do is text me back.”

Adam cut in. “You deserve more than the _least_ , Clare.” He had become Clare’s favorite sounding board for all things Eli… It was the only way that he knew what was going on in the world of Eli. He hadn’t exactly kept up or called since he got sucked into his NYU bubble… Adam tried to be understanding but it left him feeling like Eli wasn’t there for him. Clare was feeling the same but amplified -- Eli had become elusive and busy at every turn, leaving no room for conversation or catching up. 

“I know. That’s all I’ve asked for and he can’t even give me _that_.” Clare sounded disappointed. “I’m feeling more and more like I don’t even know him…”

“You do. He’s just being…” Adam tried to help, but he couldn’t come up with a valid excuse for why Eli was treating the best thing that had ever happened to him like she was almost disposable. Adam had always seen the value in Clare -- in fact, he had a crush on her from the moment he laid his eyes on her on his first day at Degrassi. Something about her kind and friendly demeanor, her sparkling blue eyes and her cute, short curly hair just made her... so _desirable_ to Adam. Adam took a step back when he noticed Eli circling around Clare. Eli and Clare had chemistry from the start. The two were volatile at times, but Adam could see that it was all due to their passion for one another. Now on the other hand… it had seemed like their sparks faded.

“I knew it wouldn’t always be twinkly lights, but… I need him. I need someone. I need _support._ Alli is caught up in her own stuff… you’re the only one who seems to always be here for me.”

Adam paused for a moment, examining Clare’s mouth and sort of wishing he was charismatic and smooth like his brother so that the kiss that he wanted to plant on Clare’s lips so badly would just _happen_. Instead, he sat there stiff, not knowing what to do with his hands. “I’ll always be here for you, Clare. I swear.” 

The outer corners of Clare’s lips curled into a smile. Adam was glad he could boost her mood even if it was just platonic. He didn’t want to steal his best friend’s girlfriend anyway. Adam had been involved in his own fair share of drama -- he didn’t need to add to it. Even though he wanted to kiss Clare, he needed to step down. 

“Adam?” Clare said softly. 

“Yes?” Adam replied immediately, feeling his heart start to race for some reason. 

“Can you hug me?” Clare asked. Adam wasn’t sure if she had ever asked for a hug like this. Definitely not in a more intimate one-on-one setting like the one that was currently occurring. “I really need a hug right now.” 

Adam gulped before accepting her request. “Come here.” He said as he stood up from the couch and straightened the bottom of his button-up shirt. _Play it cool_ , Adam thought. _She’s just a friend_.

Clare stood up from the couch and straightened her jacket in a similar fashion to Adam fixing his shirt. She almost seemed… _nervous_ . Adam had a rightful reason to be nervous, since his crush who he had long-accepted as _just a friend_ was advancing toward him intimately. He couldn’t fully read the signs… _Was Clare about to…?_ She pulled Adam into a tight embrace, her arms wrapped around his torso and her fingers softly grazing his ribs. She felt so… _perfect_ in his arms. Adam never expected he’d betray Eli in this way, but his lips couldn’t resist… Their faces gravitated to be inches away from each other and Adam looked into Clare’s beautiful eyes… Adam kissed Clare.

Clare kissed Adam back. Their lips stayed connected for a moment before Clare pulled away. “I shouldn’t have…” She started speaking as if she initiated the kiss. She definitely reciprocated it, but was the way their foreheads touched and the way their lips met one another… _mutual_? 

“I’ve had a crush on you since I met you.” Adam admitted. “I backed off when you and Eli became a thing, but…” 

“You always liked me?” Clare finished his thought. “I always thought you were just a good friend.” 

“I was. I wanted to be whatever you needed or wanted in your life. You were one of the first people who accepted me for who I am without question. You saw me when I was at an all-time-low hurting myself because I thought I needed to be someone I wasn’t.” Adam thought back to the moment at the picnic table outside of Degrassi during his first semester in Toronto. “You helped me. I’ve always wanted to help you. Even if you didn’t want me like that, I just wanted to see you happy.” 

Clare leaned in, clearly tempted to kiss Adam again. Instead her lips met his cheek. “I need to break things off with Eli before we continue.”

Adam nodded. “I want to do this right. Whatever it is.” Their bodies were still close, entangled with one another in some sort of half-embrace. Adam’s hand gripped the small of Clare’s back as he pulled her in for another tight hug. She had been his best friend and rock this year, especially after the horrific car accident Adam had been through. Eli had to return to NYU but he had let the lack of communication between himself and Clare get out of control to the point where Clare felt completely abandoned and unloved. That wasn’t fair. 

Adam was just glad that Clare was confiding in him -- someone who knew how to take things slow and take care of his partner in every circumstance. He couldn’t have imagined Clare falling into a different guy at Degrassi’s arms. Clare being Drew’s vice had made Adam substantially nervous that Drew would fall for yet another crush of Adam’s and would be the one picking up the pieces of Clare’s heart. Not this time. Adam invited Clare to sit back down on the couch beside him and they exchanged nervous smiles. He slowly moved his hand toward Clare’s and wrapped his fingers around hers. Adam couldn’t have imagined something like this happening in a million years, but it felt so _right_.

“We’re gonna figure this out?” Clare asked, her voice slightly shaky. 

Adam gripped her hand reassuredly, pulling it up to his mouth and placing his lips on the back of her hand. “Whatever it takes.”


End file.
